'Felony Squad' actor Dennis Cole dies

[from The Hollywood Reporter] -- Ex-stuntman also appeared in 'Love Boat,' 'Charlie's Angels'
By Gregg Kilday
Nov 16, 2009, 06:51 PM ET

Dennis Cole, a stuntman who rose to TV stardom in the 1966 series "Felony Squad" and went on to dozens of guest-starring appearances throughout the 1970s and '80s, died Sunday at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He was 69.

The cause of death was not released.

Although born in Detroit, Cole had the blond, athletic look of a quintessential California surfer, which earned him the attention of physique magazines and led to his casting as rookie detective Jim Briggs on "Felony." After that show's 2 1/2 year-run, Cole followed with the series "Bracken's World" and "Bearcats!" and a stint on the daytime soap "The Young and the Restless" that began in 1981.

Cole guest-starred on such series as "Medical Center," "Police Story," "The Love Boat" and "Charlie's Angels," where he met his second wife, Jaclyn Smith, to whom he was married from 1978-81.

He encountered tragedy in 1991 when his son Joe, from his first marriage to Sally Ann Bergeron, was murdered during a home invasion robbery. The case was never solved.

In recent years, Cole became a real estate broker in Fort Lauderdale with his wife, Ree Cole, whom he recently divorced amicably. He is survived by his brother Richard.

A blurb in the 1974 issue of Physique Pictorial pins Dennis' age at the time of his AMG modeling as 20, in 1960, and that at the time of his session he was a dance instructor at an Arthur Murray studio, "but has since gone into acting."

I can remember seeing Dennis in some of his 70s/80s TV guest appearances. Farewell, Dennis, and thanks for all the years of entertainment!